


Keep It Positive

by keijitrash



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Crack, Fluff and Crack, Game Night, Gen, Heiwajima Starts A Beat-Sokolov Agenda, Hoshiumi Doesn't Know How Uno Works, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, It's Really Just Schweiden Adlers Being Cute, Romero is Tired, Schweiden Adlers - Freeform, Schweiden Adlers Playing Uno, Sokolov Wins a Lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24255061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keijitrash/pseuds/keijitrash
Summary: In which Romero proposes to have game nights becausemaybethat might make the team more connected, right? It’s a good idea – brilliant, even – if he’d just done it with the right group of people and not his teammates from Schweiden Adlers.TL;DR :the five times the Adlers tried having game nights and the one time it actually worked.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 170





	1. COOL, COOL, COOL, NO DOUBT, NO DOUBT, NO DOUBT

**Author's Note:**

> This crack!fic was inspired by [Blueberry's Tweet](https://twitter.com/freshyoungblueb/status/1262270732437909504?s=20) about Adler's game night. I swear this gets better.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this in the comments - I hope you enjoy the read!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romero really thought this would work, didn’t he?

(-1)

.

.

.

It started like this: the Adlers were all in the shower room after a particularly grueling day of training when Romero suddenly spoke up. Not that it was rare to have people talking while taking a bath – it just so happened that everyone was so _damn tired_ that they didn’t even bother trying for conversation.

Then Romero broke the silence.

“Do you all want to have game night at my place?”

_(It’s good to note that, when he says ‘my place’, he means the lofty apartment he’s currently living in while in Japan.)_

The responses went from _decent_ to altogether _dumb_ as they all put the effort to reply to the open hitter’s question.

Hirugami, with interest, “That’s not a bad idea.”

Heiwajima while wiping his hair down with a towel, “Sure.”

Sokolov with small smile, “Why not?”

Their responses sparked joy and hope in Romero as he was changing into his spare shirt. Of course, this just _had_ to be broken when the three youngest members of the team all spoke up at _nearly_ the same time saying:

_“Whats game night?”_

Honestly, the open hitter should’ve already taken this as a hint that it would _not_ work out. Still, he did his best to explain what ‘game night’ is to the boys all while they headed for the man’s apartment at sundown.

.

.

.

_“So…we’re going to have dinner while playing games?”_

_“Yes, Tobio, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”_

_“…what game?”_

_“Well, definitely not volleyball – I wouldn’t want to thrash my place.”_

.

.

.

They settled with Uno.

_(‘It’s a classic,’ Romero explained while bringing out the deck of cards from his room, ‘me, my wife, and my son would play this when we all have time.’)_

Hirugami, Sokolov, and Heiwajima were all familiar with the game – _thank god thank god thank **god**_ – and even teased each other about who would win.

_(‘I always get to uno first,’ Sokolov bragged only to be shot down by Heiwajima saying: ‘We’ll see about that.’)_

But - to Romero’s horror and disappointment – Wakatoshi, Korai, and Tobio had _no idea_ what ‘Uno’ even is.

“Seriously?” Romero asked with wide eyes, “You’ve never played it before?”

If he wasn’t such an optimistic person, the open hitter would be ripping his hair off in frustration because – _seriously? Who doesn’t know Uno? It’s fine if you haven’t played it! But to have absolutely **zero** clue about the game even **existing**?_

_Just...how?_

The three shook their head in unison.

Romero let out a breath, “Alright, I’ll teach you the basics then let’s try playing once.”

.

.

.

_He tried, okay?_

.

.

.

_He really did._

.

.

.

Teaching the three of them made Romero feel a preschool teacher. Or a nanny.

“…then this means you skip the next player’s turn and—Tobio? Are you listening?” The brunet was currently showing them how special cards worked when he noticed Tobio on his phone for the umpteenth time since he started talking about Uno.

“Ah, yes,” Tobio replied – _clearly not_.

Romero let out breath, “Let’s go ahead and try playing for now.

.

.

.

_“UNO UNO UNO!”_

_“Korai you still have_ three _cards left—“_

.

.

.

_“USHIJIMA STOP SHOWING YOUR CARDS!”_

_“…why?”_

_“BECAUSE YOU SHOULDN’T!”_

.

.

.

_“Uno!”_

_“GODDAMNIT SOKOLOV!”_

_“I told you I always get to uno first, Heiwajima.”_

.

.

.

.

.

(In the end, Romero was left wondering why he even bothered suggesting this in the first place.)

(But he remained positive, of course – maybe Uno just isn’t the game for them.)

(Right?)

(Yes.)


	2. TIME FOR THE NEXT LEVEL: FORCED LAUGHING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romero tries again – it kind of works this time. Kind of.

(-2)

.

.

.

He should’ve given up.

Romero should’ve given up on having ‘game night’ with his teammates – but the world-class ace was relentless and _positive_ about the outcome this time so Heiwajima, Sokolov, and Hirugami indulged him. Korai, Tobio, and Wakatoshi just went with the flow and said ‘okay’ when the he asked them if they all wanted to come over again.

_(It didn’t take much to persuade the three to come along.)_

So the seven of them were back in Romero’s place for the second time.

.

.

.

_“Oh! The rice smells good!”_

_“Right? It’s really fragrant!”_

.

.

.

Today, they settled with playing video games. Romero had enough money to buy controllers and (though he wouldn’t admit it) had a console already so it was one of the easiest choices.

“So what’s today’s game?” Sokolov asked while taking up half of the space on the couch by lying down. He was a _little_ haughty after his straight wins during Uno.

“Tekken?” Heiwajima suggested while looking through Romero’s stack of disks. “’m pretty sure everyone _has_ to know Tekken right.”

Korai, with his eyes shining, suddenly exclaimed: “Ooh! I used to play that!”

Tobio muttered something about doing it in the arcade before, while Wakatoshi remained his quiet self.

Romero visibly sagged in relief at the reaction.

“Let’s do Tekken then.”

.

.

.

_“Ew Heiwajima your hands are sticky! Don’t wipe it on your shirt!”_

_“Where else do I wipe them?”_

_“How about you **wash**?”_

.

.

.

_“Ooh Korai you’re beating Sokolov!”_

_“Captain, stop.”_

_“HAH! I’M WINNING!”_

.

.

.

_“Wakatoshi, you don’t have to press on the buttons that hard!”_

_“But—“_

_“The attacks won’t be stronger! Just press it gently!”_

.

.

.

_“Oh sh—Ushijima you broke Romero’s controller.”_

_“Sorry, Romero-san, I was too strong.”_

_“It’s okay.”_

_“I’ll pay for a new one—“_

_“Don’t worry about it!”_

.

.

.

This turned out, at least, to be better than the _first time_ they tried game night. There was only a single casualty _(Romero silently mourned the loss of his money and brand new controller when they all left)_ , everyone understood what was happening, and none of them had headache over trying to teach kids how games work.

In addition, the curry-rice was really good.

And so was the dessert.

.

.

.

(Romero would’ve called this one a success if it wasn’t for the controller.)

.

.

.

(He tries to convince himself that it’s fine – he has three more and it’s not like it’s his son’s.)

.

.

.

(It’s fine.)

.

.

.

(...seriously, it’s fine.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Share your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear them ♥


	3. THE DOCTOR SAID THE BLEEDING WAS INTERNAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since it worked so well last time, maybe it will again this time!

(-3)

.

.

.

The second ‘game night’ left Romero’s lips, they all just collectively agreed, packed their things, then commuted to the man’s apartment like it was something they do daily. But, really, Romero didn’t even need to _ask_ at this point – they were just down for anything. Sokolov was aiming to win more games, Heiwajima was on a ‘beat Sokolov’ agenda, Hirugami was just having fun, and the three younger ones were like adorable ducklings who followed them eagerly.

“What’s for today?” Hirugami asked as he took out the plates and set them on Romero’s coffee table in the living room.

Today’s dinner was takeout.

Obviously, Hirugami wasn’t asking about what food they were going to eat.

Romero hummed, lightly scratching on his beard.

“I’m not sure, actually…”

Sokolov looked at the open hitter incredulously. “I thought you had a plan tonight?”

“Well, not for tonight, no.” The man laughed and scratched the nape of his neck. Then his face brightened and he got up from the couch and went to his room.

“Cards Against Humanity or Scrabble?”

Sokolov almost screamed.

“Cards!” Heiwajima and Sokolov chorused.

Heiwajima, “I have a better sense of humor than you.”

Sokolov, with a challenging expression, “Sure you do.”

.

.

.

_“What’s Cards Against Humanity?”_

_“Wakatoshi you’re going to **kill** us.”_

_“Um…We don’t know what it is either.”_

_“You three are going to be the death of us adults.”_

.

.

.

_“…but we’re adults too.”_

.

.

.

While they taught the three ‘ _ducklings_ ’ how to play, Romero found himself chuckling at the way their eyes brightened as the slowly got the hang of the game.

It’s all just works out depending on your sense of humor, really.

“I’m going to win,” Wakatoshi suddenly declared – taking everyone by surprise.

“O-Okay.”

.

.

.

_Dammit Jimmy, I said you would get expelled for **literally eating shit** again!_

_“Ohgod—whose card was that? It’s a winner!”_

_“Mine.”_

_“OKAY SOKOLOV!”_

.

.

.

_When you get down to it, **a ferris wheel rolling towards the sea** is really just **a windmill full of corpses**._

_“Wakatoshi?!”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Ah, no, nothing – you get the point for this round.”_

.

.

.

_What naughty children will be receiving instead of coal this year: **Nudes of Mrs. Claus**._

_“Heiwajima! Keep it PG!”_

_“I’m playing to **win**!”_

.

.

.

_“Tobio don’t answer with the most literal things—“_

_“I’m not supposed to?”_

_“Someone hold me before I scream.”_

_“Go ahead Sokolov.”_

_“Captain, you’re having too much fun.”_

.

.

.

_Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapons are surprise, fear and **Spaniards.**_

_“Oh pfft—okay that was funny, who put that?”_

_“TOBIO?! I’M PROUD OF YOU!”_

.

.

.

**_The day the birds attacked_ ** _would be incomplete without **flightless birds.**_

_“Kourai.”_

_“Yes?”_

_“…nevermind.”_

.

.

.

In the end, the ‘adults’ still won. The ducklings’ humor were just…so… _well_. Romero let out a sigh as his teammates left his place and stayed standing by the door until all of them disappeared in the distance.

He had to admit – it wasn’t _so_ bad.

They all just had to understand that they were with kids who seemingly had _nothing_ but volleyball in their heads.

The open hitter chuckled at that.

It made the three more adorable than they already were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me hear your thoughts in the comments! I hope you enjoyed ♥


	4. YOU JUST HAVE TO SAY YOU’RE FINE WHEN YOU'RE NOT REALLY FINE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romero is torn between thinking Korai might have a chance as a dancer.

(-4)

.

.

.

Today, the adults of the team mutually decided that they will all be playing another classic with the kids – _Charades_. Turns out, Korai _knows_ how to play it (they all pretended not to be absolutely _relieved_ about that), Tobio has a vague idea, and Wakatoshi is just really bad at acting.

Good to know.

At least the wing spiker admitted to it.

They could adapt to that.

_(They really wish they can.)_

.

.

.

_“Wakatoshi what **are** you trying to—“_

_“Seagull!”_

_“That was **correct**?! Korai how did you—?!”_

_“What d’ya mean? It’s obvious.”_

.

.

.

_“I’d hate to say it but Heiwajima I have no idea what you’re doing.”_

_“HE LOOKS LIKE AN IDOT!”_

_“STOP LAUGHING SOKOLOV!”_

_“YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK!”_

.

.

.

_“How do I act this out?”_

_“Kageyama you shouldn’t be showing us the card!”_

_“Oh-um-sorry I’ll get another one.”_

.

.

.

Romero looked over his shoulder as Hoshiumi continued to act around in the most _dramatic_ and exaggerated way in the center of his living room. He suppressed a laugh as he rinsed the dishes and placed them back neatly on his dishrack.

.

.

.

_“Captain you look like a chicken.”_

_“Captain you look like a **dying** chicken when you’re gesturing like that.”_

_“Is it a dying chicken? Are you acting out a dying chicken?”_

_“DON’T THROW THE REMOTE CONTROL!”_

.

.

.

_“Ushijima don’t just stand there…”_

_“I don’t know how to act as a hanger.”_

_“…”_

_“Can I curse? We’re all adults here.”_

.

.

.

_“ **Don’t** use anything in my living room as props.”_

_“Aw.”_

.

.

.

So far, none of his furniture was broken – Romero noted this with a small smile. Still, today’s game wasn’t as perfect as he thought it would be. It was fun, of course, but it was still _utter chaos_ ; Wakatoshi made almost zero progress in being able to act out _objects_ , Kageyama clearly only knew the game as something mentioned and _not_ as something he used to play, and Korai…

Korai knew how to play – he just – he’s _dramatic_.

He’d probably beat a prima ballerina if he tried.

.

.

.

_(Sigh.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! ♥


	5. TELL ME WHY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they all find out the pros and cons of being volleyball players.

(-5)

.

.

.

Romero really thought he had it this time.

“ _Jenga_?” Sokolov looked close to puking at the mention of the game. Heiwajima laughed at the expression on the middle blocker’s face.

With a growing smirk he said, “Oho? Are you _bad_ at Jenga?”

Sokolov practically _growled_ at the libero.

“You two stop fighting,” Hirugami pats them both on the shoulders, “none of the duckl—Kageyama, Hoshiumi, and Ushijima have no idea how the game works so it’d be better if you two set an example.”

“Captain, it’s literally just _taking out blocks_.”

In that moment, Romero caught Hirugami’s eyes. They both gave each other solemn nods and tried their best to stay optimistic about today’s game going well.

.

.

.

_“Sokolov you **suck**!”_

_“SHUT UP!”_

.

.

.

_“Oh wow, Tobio, you’re surprisingly good at this!”_

_“Thank you.”_

_“OHMY—KAGEYAMA’S BLUSHING!”_

.

.

.

_“Ushijima try just reaching your fingers out instead of your whole hand.”_

_“Uh…”_

_“This is the **fifth** time we have to start all over again because you made the tower topple down.”_

_“Sorry.”_

_“No seriously, use your fingers man.”_

.

.

.

Romero wondered how much white hair he already has from hosting all these game nights. _Ah, I don’t even want to think about it._

.

.

.

_“CAPTAIN HOW DID YOU EVEN WIN?”_

_“By…winning?”_

.

.

.

_“ARGH! WHY DOES THE ENTIRE THING KEEP SHAKING WHENEVER I TRY TAKING A PIECE OUT?!”_

_“HOSHIUMI NO—“_

_“…we have to rebuild it again.”_

_“Korai, we have to work on your anger issues.”_

.

.

.

_“Tobio’s **really** concentrated.”_

_“Kageyama this isn’t volleyball!”_

_“I play to win.”_

.

.

.

Dinner was almost ignored in place of playing. By the time they decided to eat, the rice had already gone cold and everyone just decided to take a break for a few minutes to reheat the food and eat before playing again.

Sokolov huffed as he blew on his food, “I had more wins the previous games.”

“Yeah- doesn’t change the fact that you absolutely _suck_ at Jenga.” Heiwajima rolled his eyes, “How do you even do that?”

.

.

.

_“I’m not even surprised Romero got the most wins.”_

_“I have game nights with my son.”_

_“Oh so that’s why you made us do this.”_

_“I never told you?”_

.

.

.

(Romero was stuck wondering if he shouldn’t have done this in the first place.)

.

.

.

(Oh.)

.

.

.

(Oh _wait_.)

.

.

.

(He just had a _brilliant_ idea.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? 🥺


	6. PLAYING VOLLEYBALL WITH ABSOLUTELY NO VOLLEYBALLS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romero should've known this one would work. Why didn't he think of it sooner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [Team Edge's video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQj_ENY-0o0).

(+1)

.

.

.

“We’re not going to your place?”

The Adlers were walking to the direction _opposite_ Romero’s apartment tonight – and they had no idea why.

“No,” Romero replied, “I wouldn’t want to wreck my place with what we’re going to play – and it’s not spacious enough.”

Sokolov raised a brow, “Huh.”

.

.

.

(Turns out, they were playing _volleyball_.)

.

.

.

“We literally just came from practice only to _play again_?”

Heiwajima looked like he was ready to throw hands.

.

.

.

(The only twist was that there was no volleyball ball involved.)

.

.

.

(It was actually the smartest idea Romero came up with thus far.)

.

.

.

Sokolov was laughing at the libero. He looked so _haughty_ while throwing and catching the small ping-pong ball in his hands as he taunted Heiwajima _(because the man was a libero which meant he was the **seventh** player so he had to switch groups every ‘set’)_.

Hirugami and Romero were in one corner of the room, talking in hushed volumes.

“You think it’ll work out this time?”

“Captain, all of us are volleyball idiots.”

Hirugami wrinkled his brows, “…your point being?”

“It’s a _volleyball_ game,” Romero said, “it’ll _definitely_ work out.”

.

.

.

(Spoiler alert: it did.)

.

.

.

_“USHIJIMA! IT HURTS! YOU HIT MY CROTCH!”_

_“I’m sorr—“_

_“I’M TAKING REVENGE ON YOU!”_

.

.

.

_“Korai I’m actually scared that I might smash you.”_

_“I’M ONLY AN INCH SHORTER THAN HEIWAJIMA-SAN!”_

.

.

.

So far, the score was an amazing 20-21. They were close to using the gigantic beach volleyball now, and everyone but Wakatoshi was scared of how hard the famous Southpaw would hit that one when serving.

When the thought entered their minds, a shiver ran up their spines.

.

.

.

_“Heiwajima try serving for the team!”_

_“Sokolov I’m only a libero in name – I **can** serve.”_

_“Then show us!”_

.

.

.

_“USHIJIMA! DON’T YOU DARE SERVE ON MY HEAD THIS TIME!”_

_“Hoshiumi calm down—“_

_“WHAT IF I DIE CAPTAIN?!”_

.

.

.

_“Kageyama how the **hell** can you still set with **this** kind of ball?”_

_“…with…my hands?”_

.

.

.

The seven of them had no idea how much time had passed until all of them were too worn out to move.

Heiwajime was leaning against the giant beach ball while catching his breath, Sokolov was practically dead on the ground, _is Wakatoshi doing a snow angel without snow?!_ Hirugami was in the bathroom, Tobio was chatting with the Ninja while laughing, Korai was letting out a series of groans while slumped on the floor and Romero…

Romero was lying down with a smile on his face.

_Finally._

.

.

.

(They’re volleyball idiots, your honor.)

.

.

.

(Of course this was going to work out.)

.

.

.

The next time Romero would bring up having ‘game night’, the Adlers would immediately perk up. The ducklings would be the most excited, while Heiwajime and Sokolov would be out to beat each other. Hirugami would just smile serenely and suggest what type dinner they’ll be having for tonight.

They may all still be chaotic as a whole _(one can **never** change that)_, but the world-renowned ace knew that every night just strengthened their connection with each other.

.

.

.

(The next time they played an official match, they didn’t even have to talk most of the time to be able to communicate on the court.)

.

.

.

(Charades helped them with that.)

.

.

.

(And Ushijima’s spikes seemed to have gotten _stronger_ – which isn’t a bad thing for the Adlers. They just pity whoever had to receive those balls.)

.

.

.

(It all worked out in the end.)

.

.

.

(In conclusion: Romero still deserves a break.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finished! I hope you enjoyed reading about the Adlers' game nights as much as I did while writing it! Special thanks to [Blueberry](https://twitter.com/freshyoungblueb) for hyping me up to this ✊😌


End file.
